Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds is a shy and peace-loving man who is best known for his heroic efforts to negotiate a peace treaty between the Independent Army and the Alliance. When his efforts appeared doomed to failure, Mal gave up.

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Mal is the captain of the spaceship Serenity. He frequently comments that he "hates the gorram piece of go se" and hopes that the Alliance will approve his application for employment as a tariff commissioner shortly. He has considered slave trading as a "fallback" career alternative, but due to the shady nature of the business he has concerns that such a venture might land him in trouble with the law.

Mal enjoying a light bondage and S&M scene at the hands of a former employer.

Mal hates his crew with an undying passion, which might account for the way he tries to kill them and/or get them killed at every opportunity. Notable events:

In the episode Ariel, he smashes his faithful second-in-command over the head with a wrench after framing the hapless man for treachery.

In the episode War Stories, he tries to have his pilot, Wash, tortured to death with electrical shocks. The plan backfired and the pilot waltzed out leaving Mal behind to enjoy a light bondage and S&M scene with a former employer.

In the episode Objects in Space, he and his crew strive to force River, the most mentally stable member of Serenity's crew, to commit suicide because everyone hates her. When this fails he vents his anger by punching a completely innocent bystander and sending him spiralling off itno the depths of space without any air (however, the man probably deserved it was a pretty weak punch).

In the episode Safe, he tries to have his doctor, Simon, and his sister River burned at the stake.

Also in Safe, he has the on-board preacher, Book, shot. However, the bullet fails to kill him, so Mal turns the disabled man in to the authorities, hoping to get rid of him that way.

In the pilot episode, Serenity, he has his mechanic shot in the stomach. However, he decides to let her live so that he can play a sadistic prank on Simon, the doctor.

In the episode Out of Gas, he attempted to kill everyone by lighting the engine room on fire and turning the life support off. However, Mal nearly got hiself killed when everyone escaped and he was then forced to try and fix the damage himself so that he could call them all back and try again.

In Our Mrs. Reynolds he tried to electrocute everyone on board the ship and blame it on his new wife.

Mal has suffered serious ego problems from an early age, and as an adult continues to question himself constantly. He feels that most people are better than him, and he lacks confidence in his own decisions.

Mal works best under constant supervision, and due to his discomfort with leadership roles he tends to relegate day-to-day operation of the ship to his trusted second-in-command, Jayne Cobb.

Mal is a master swordsman, renowned for his skill at dueling.

Malcolm Reynolds sometimes imagines himself to be a fictional character on the imaginary TV series Firefly, with his character played by actor Nathan Fillion.